I'm familiar with Peter Hedges's theatrical work. I've seen a few of his plays in New York- `Baby Anger' and `Good As New'; the latter I think would have made a better, more focused film- there was talk about turning it into a movie a while ago. Anyway, I was surprised by the screenplay here because Hedges is a talented writer and he's usually a pro at recreating the nerve-racking minutia of dysfunctional family quips and exchanges. There's certainly a plethora of cutting remarks made by the characters in `Pieces Of April' but it seemed to me that most of the dialogue here was dumbed-down to the point of real cliché. As a writer, of drama especially, you start with something you want to say, a founding notion and you try to shape your words until you find the finest, most incisive way of presenting them. In this movie the characters all speak in such broad sentences as if Hedges simply sent the first draft of the screenplay to the presses without any finessing or essential rewriting what so ever. Everything they say and do is so completely cut and dry and without shadow that unfortunately as many of the previous reviews have stated, the film turns into sitcom material and Hedges is much brighter and more capable than that.
It's odd how this film was not only written but also directed by Hedges which would imply that he made all the decisions. This was his first film, his first baby, so to speak and it simply has too many points that fall into the undeniable category of `indie', `Sundance', quirky for it's own sake, and it's kind of a failure. Ebert said in his review it was made for $200,000. That sounds really inexpensive. I guess in those terms Hedges managed to create a work that was `good'. For the resources he had I guess it was good enough. However, you would think coming from a theatrical background where a director is confined to one space and much of any setting is left to the audience's imagination, Hedges would have been dieing to branch out and delve into film's vast visual possibilities with greater artistry. Even though the screenplay is set in claustrophobic areas like inside a car or the interior of April's crappy apartment, there was still film's opportunity to paint the character's inner workings more deeply. Even though Hedges throws in annoying, off-beat sequences like the quick funeral service for a piece of road kill, he really can't escape from representational theater's format and limitations. Information about the character's pasts unfortunately fall into pure exposition where for instance a nice flashback sequence could have been used. I know it must have been a goal to keep the tension high in this film while April franticly searches for an oven to use. However, the interlacing of the family's road trip with April's quest certainly is a privilege of film and I don't think Hedges made the most of all the cinematic possibilities. I know Hedges didn't want to throw in many distractions that would seem separate from the core of his story. This story is a moving one and Katie Holmes gave such a great, unexpected performance of depth beyond the confines of her generalized dialogue that I was wishing there was more development of her character. However, upon reflection I think it would have been more dramatic if April was older. She's supposedly twenty-one. Her need to be accepted by her mother would have been more powerful had April been say a thirty-five year old screw up.
I think ultimately `Pieces of April' is too raw and unfinished even for a low-budget film. It bothers me because this really could have been a great picture. It's a bittersweet little story that anybody with a family could relate to. Some of the emotions going in the film are just too potentially touching to be rendered less effectual by poor filmmaking.
It's odd how this film was not only written but also directed by Hedges which would imply that he made all the decisions. This was his first film, his first baby, so to speak and it simply has too many points that fall into the undeniable category of `indie', `Sundance', quirky for it's own sake, and it's kind of a failure. Ebert said in his review it was made for $200,000. That sounds really inexpensive. I guess in those terms Hedges managed to create a work that was `good'. For the resources he had I guess it was good enough. However, you would think coming from a theatrical background where a director is confined to one space and much of any setting is left to the audience's imagination, Hedges would have been dieing to branch out and delve into film's vast visual possibilities with greater artistry. Even though the screenplay is set in claustrophobic areas like inside a car or the interior of April's crappy apartment, there was still film's opportunity to paint the character's inner workings more deeply. Even though Hedges throws in annoying, off-beat sequences like the quick funeral service for a piece of road kill, he really can't escape from representational theater's format and limitations. Information about the character's pasts unfortunately fall into pure exposition where for instance a nice flashback sequence could have been used. I know it must have been a goal to keep the tension high in this film while April franticly searches for an oven to use. However, the interlacing of the family's road trip with April's quest certainly is a privilege of film and I don't think Hedges made the most of all the cinematic possibilities. I know Hedges didn't want to throw in many distractions that would seem separate from the core of his story. This story is a moving one and Katie Holmes gave such a great, unexpected performance of depth beyond the confines of her generalized dialogue that I was wishing there was more development of her character. However, upon reflection I think it would have been more dramatic if April was older. She's supposedly twenty-one. Her need to be accepted by her mother would have been more powerful had April been say a thirty-five year old screw up.
I think ultimately `Pieces of April' is too raw and unfinished even for a low-budget film. It bothers me because this really could have been a great picture. It's a bittersweet little story that anybody with a family could relate to. Some of the emotions going in the film are just too potentially touching to be rendered less effectual by poor filmmaking.